


First Kisses and Much More To Come

by mikeydoodledandy



Series: Sternclay Prompt Fills [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Amnesty (Podcast)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon, Prompt Fill, Trans Barclay, Trans Male Character, sternclay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 03:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21190475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeydoodledandy/pseuds/mikeydoodledandy
Summary: In the wake of the Quell, Joseph and Barclay haven't had much time to sit down and talk, but that all changes on a stormy winter night.





	First Kisses and Much More To Come

When the chaos had all died down and Kepler was left to lick its wounds and rebuild, the folks at Amnesty Lodge had found themselves in an interesting place. Their secrets were out, but now most of the townfolk had supernatural secrets of their own, with tales of fighting demons pouring from the rifts of the Quell into the streets told amongst themselves.

Everyone had a lot of catching up to do, but Barclay and Agent Joseph Stern especially so. Stern had stuck around to aid with the rebuilding, the pair often working together when they could. If the remaining residence of Amnesty lodge noticed the warm, longing glances between them and how frequently they made excuses to hang around one another, they didn’t comment. Whatever those two had going on, they’d have to figure out on their own.

Barclay knew they needed to talk. Talk about the fact he was bigfoot, yes, but also talk about all those moments they’d shared long before Stern knew the truth about him. Those moments of brushed fingers and tender words that he’d ultimately made sure didn’t lead to anything out of fear of being found out or letting himself get to close. Things that didn’t matter anymore.

So a conversation was definitely in order, but he just couldn’t find the time to do it, with Joseph being in and out, and how busy he’d been as well. That was, at least, until a quiet winter night when everything had finally slowed down. It had been snowing heavily, forcing everyone to take a break from their rebuilding, so many of the residence had opted for a quiet night inside.

Barclay was cleaning up after dinner, many of the residence retiring to their rooms. It was quieter with Aubrey and Dani gone, their absence felt keenly, but according to Mama being able to communicate with Thacker through his old crystal, he knew they were alive and well in Sylvain, doing good work to rebuild as well.

Finishing with the washing and hanging up his apron, Barclay made himself a cup of tea and had a seat in front of the fireplace in the now-empty lounge area, letting out a contented sigh. Snow was still falling outside, flickering in the outdoor lights surrounding the hot springs as he lost himself in the warm glow of the hearth.

However, it wasn’t long before he heard footsteps behind him, the sylph craning his next to peer over the back of the sofa to see who it was. Joseph noticed him watching, smiling warmly as he padded towards the table where they kept the coffee maker and electric kettle for the guests. He was dressed down in a comfortable sweater and jeans, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and he had his glasses on instead of his contacts, which Barclay always thought looked good on him.

“Ah, hello Barclay. I see we both had the same idea tonight.” The agent chuckled, making himself a cup of tea. Barclay knew exactly how the other man took it, watching with amusement as the man dumped at least three spoonfuls of sugar into his drink. It didn’t matter if it was coffee or tea of any variety, Agent Joseph Stern took his hot beverages very sweet. He had to assume the man brushed his teeth well, considering he’d never had anything but a dazzling white smile.

“Guess so, good night for it.” He nodded, scooting over on the sofa as Stern came over to join him, mug in hand. The agent sat beside him, perhaps closer than one normally would with someone who was just a friend, Barclay feeling him sink into the cushion. “It’s weather like this that does a good job in reminding everyone to take a break every once in a while, y’know? Gotta stop all the rush and slow down to mountain time. At this rate, I reckon we’ll be snowed in for a day or two before they can get a plow up here.”

“Goodness, I hope that won’t be too dire of a situation.” Stern glanced at the falling snow out the window with concern, but Barclay waved his worry off.

“Naw, we’re pretty well stocked on food, and even have a generator if the power goes out. Barring a medical emergency, we can keep going for a week up here, especially considering that most of the folks here don’t even need to eat, as long as we have access to the hot springs and I don’t imagine it’s going anywhere. I’d like to see the weather try and freeze that thing over.”

“That’s good. I suppose it’s really just myself and Ms. Cobb that require physical sustenance then.” Barclay had a sip of his tea as Joseph nodded, the cryptid almost able to see the gears turning in his head. He always got like that whenever he got new information on the slyphs, always looking like he was itching to get out a notebook and write it all down. “If you don’t mind my asking, why do you eat, if you don’t have to?”

Barclay smirked, shaking his head fondly. He loved how curious Stern was about everything, eyes bright with excitement in learning about the creatures he’d been trying to find for so long. It seemed like his goal had never truly been to hunt them, even though that was his original pretense; he just wanted to learn.

“Why do people do anything that has no functional purpose? It’s fun and it’s delicious, simple as that. My love for cooking stems from just how interesting it is, and how much I enjoy it. Hunger might not factor into it for me, but that’s even more reason to make sure a dish tastes good if that’s going to be the only thing I get from it.”

“That makes sense. It’s more entertainment than anything then, and humans certainly enjoy their own forms of entertainment just as much.” Joseph nodded, leaning back against the cushions.

“For what it’s worth, we enjoy those forms of entertainment too.” Barclay mused, eyes sliding over Joseph’s form as he wet his lips. “We enjoy a lot of things that humans do.”

Joseph met his gaze, a dusting of pink rising to his cheeks from the attention Barclay was giving him. “I see. What um.. What sort of things do you enjoy then?”

“Oh, all sorts of things. Food, sports, books. Good conversation. Spending quality time with handsome FBI agents.” Joseph blushed more brightly, a ruddy hue coming to Barclay’s cheeks as well. Apparently, he was feeling bold and just a little cheeky tonight, but they’d spent so long dancing around each other, he just felt ready for this to go _somewhere_. “Though that last one might just be me.”

“Barclay, I…” Stern put his cup down, their knees bumping together. The agent bit his lip as Barclay followed suit so he could give Joseph his full attention. “I like spending time with you too. Very much so. All this time, I thought you.. I thought you redirected my interest in you because you didn’t feel the same way, but.. in retrospect, it makes quite a bit of sense why you did. God forbid I discover your secret, no doubt.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Barclay rubbed the back of his neck, sighing softly. “I didn’t think we could be a thing, even though I really wanted it to be. Despite being someone who claimed to be literally hunting me, you’re sweet and charming and after getting to know you all these months, I can’t help but… not have feelings for you, y’know?”

“I feel quite similarly. Admittedly, despite my hinting, I wasn’t sure if a relationship with you should be something I should have been pursuing, what with my work and how I thought I’d eventually be leaving. But, considering my new orders, it seems I’ll now be around for the foreseeable future.” Joseph hesitantly reached down, taking Barclay’s hand.

“Seems that way, yeah.” Barclay jumped when Stern took his hand, not expecting it, but didn’t pull away, running his thumb over Joseph’s fingers. “So.. the whole bigfoot thing doesn’t bother you then?

“Bother me? Goodness, no.” Joseph’s face was aflame, but he was grinning, having to look away with how flustered he was, perhaps a little overwhelmed. “If anything, it’s an added bonus. Here I am, having hunted bigfoot for most of my adult life, only for me to accidentally develop feelings for him without even knowing it. It’s like something out of a fairytale. Trust me, Barclay, this is hardly a hardship.”

“Good to know.” Barclay chuckled, the two of them grinning like love-stricken fools. Another pressing matter came to mind however, Barclay’s smile faltering slightly. “In a similar vein, um.. that’s not all you don’t know about me. And I’m really hoping it doesn’t matter to you, but it’s.. something you need to know if we’re gonna go anywhere with this.”

Joseph blinked, brows knitting together in concern, nodding slowly. “Alright, I’m listening, though I doubt there’s much you could tell me, short of you being a murderer that would make me think less of you.”

“Not a murderer, despite what you seemed to think about me when you got here and didn’t know I was bigfoot. I have a pretty good idea for where those missing persons reports came from, but that can wait until later if that’s alright.” Joseph grimaced sheepishly as he seemed to recall why he’d come to Amnesty in the first place, clearing his throat in embarrassment.

“I’d love to hear it, but you’re right, that can wait until later. What was it you wanted to tell me?” He met Barclay’s eyes, expression open, and understanding. Barclay shrugged, trying to calm his nerves.

“I’m um… I’m also trans? It’s not really a big deal in Sylvain since it’s really common among animal sylphs, but I know humans kinda put more stock into that sort of stuff.” He looked away, struggling to keep eye contact. However, he felt a gentle hand on his cheek, Joseph nudging him back to looking at him. He was smiling, eyes full of affection.

“Barclay, that doesn’t make a difference to me any more than you being bigfoot does. You’re perfect just as you are, and I wouldn’t change anything about you.” Barclay felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes, overwhelmed by joy at Joseph’s words.

Without wasting another moment of time, he leaned in and kissed the man, heart rejoicing as it finally got what it had wanted for so long.

It was the first of many wonderful nights ahead of them, the two men wrapped in each other’s arms as the world outside was blanketed with snow.

**Author's Note:**

> A first of possibly many prompt fills on my [tumblr](https://mike-does-weird-things.tumblr.com/) that I'm writing when I need a break from writing my much more intensive Human Coffeeshop AU [Caramel Mocha Lattes & Nicely Pressed Suits](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20866709/chapters/49599347)
> 
> This one is just fluffy and cute and I needed it for my soul. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
